The following is a work of fiction. The story may contain profanity and references to gay sex. Any relation to similar events or persons, fiction or real, is completely fortuitous. If such content offends you please leave now. The author retains all rights to the story. Do not copy or use without written authority from the author. Write Bobby at brokendreamboi@yahoo.com with your comments.

Have you forgotten all I know, and all we had?
You saw me mourning my love for you
And touched my hand
I knew you loved me then

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you, to live, to breathe
You're taking over me

Control. It's extraordinary the tactics people employ to obtain it. Some rely on deception while others engage in outright trickery. Then there are those who resort to extortion. Why do we fight so hard for control? Because we know to lose it is to put our fate in the hands of others. And what could be more dangerous?

Jared was pacing my room, massaging his temple. For the past five minutes that's all he's done. I was lying in bed, drowsy from all the excitement the day has brought. The left side of my body ached from Keegan's stunning kick. My jaw, my nose, both were sore. Even after gargling with mouthwash I could still taste blood. Perhaps something hadn't stopped bleeding as I thought.

"I don't even know how to start," Jared said, still pacing. "I just . . . I don't even know!"

"I don't know why it matters. We both got some good hits in. It's over. Who cares?" Talking pained me. I need a few Tylenol, but I don't want to move.

"That was not normal brotherly fighting!" he shouted. "That was rage. You were beating the shit out of him."

"And?"

Jared stopped pacing. "Why were you attacking him?"

What do I tell him? The truth? I want Keegan to pay for what he did. Tyler and Jared can really only ground him and take away his stuff. On the other hand, I can torture his ass until he begs for mercy. Perhaps him being grounded and technology-less, including being tortured by yours truly, is the perfect revenge. So that would mean telling the parentals what happened. What to do. What to do.

"He's just—" I was interrupted by Tyler coming into my bedroom. He looked incredibly upset, like, I've never seen him look so upset before.

"I am so disgusted by you. You're lucky you didn't break his nose or knock out a tooth! What do you have to say for yourself?" Tyler demanded angrily. His cheeks were rosy red.

"You know what, I don't care. Say whatever you want." I was beginning to grow angry myself. They have no idea what's going on. "I'd do it again if I could. Keep your little boy on lockdown because the next time I get him alone I'll do far worse!"

"Travers!" Tyler admonished.

Jared moved in closer. "Tell us why you attacked him. Now!"

I stared numbly. I felt the sting of tears threaten to show, but I had to hold it in. When I'm alone, then I can cry, but not a second before.

"I caught him giving head to Trevor." I averted my eyes. The tears weren't cooperating with me, not that history has proven reliability.

Both men had a far off look in their eyes. They were too stunned to speak. It's not every day you discover one of your kids is a demon child who betrayed his own flesh and blood. Without saying a word, Tyler left the room looking worse than before. Jared patted me on the leg, which was still on fire by the way, and followed Tyler out.

Thanks for the reassurance, guys. Appreciate it.

Thunder bellowed outside following bolts of lightning. Zeus must not be very happy. Perhaps he found one of his brothers trying to seduce Hera and is taking his rage out on humankind. Revenge is in the air. Tonight, Keegan only had a sample of what is to come. I'll never forgive him, I'll never forget. He thinks he can just humiliate me, betray me, and get away with it? Well he is sorely mistaken—literally. What honestly would possess him to do something so heinous? I just don't understand. We weren't fighting beforehand. The universe was fine. So what snapped inside of his mind? Being a fourteen year old has its moments of rebellion, but this was too much.

I need to talk to someone. Where the hell is my phone? Ugh, it's in my car. That's right. I painfully slid out of bed and changed out of my damp swim trunks into something a bit more comfortable. I ran out to my car and retrieved my phone. Ten missed calls and seven texts. Every one of them from Trevor.

It wasn't what it looked like!!!

I can explain!!

Please don't do anything stupid

Stop ignoring me just let me explain

This is a big misunderstanding

I'm so fucking sorry!!!!!!!

:(

It looked pretty straight forward to me. I saw him getting his dick sucked by my younger brother. How could I have possibly misinterpreted that? He's just trying to cover his ass because he knows how vindictive I can become. And he's right. Instead of texting him I called Claire. There was no answer. Maybe she's already asleep, although it'd be early for her. I crawled back into bed and tried falling asleep. Twenty minutes passed by in no time. There is no way I'll be falling asleep on my own. Time for the trusty sleeping pill to do its job. I took two, for extra strength. Just as I was getting comfortable under my blanket, someone knocked on the door.

"What?" I croaked out. I cleared my throat to sound less retarded.

In walked Tyler and Jared. They were clearly agitated. Tyler stood over my bed and Jared sat on my desk chair.

"I'm sorry I said you disgusted me," Tyler began. "But there were better ways to handle things. You should have come to us in the first place. It's our job to discipline him, not yours." His eyes were sincere and moist. His words earlier weren't that hurtful, but apologies are always nice to hear.

"Yeah, well, whatever." I rolled over, facing away from them.

Jared said, "We don't really know what to do. He's grounded, obviously. There's nothing fun in his room right now." When I didn't reply he went on. "We can't think of a punishment appropriate enough to fit the crime."

I know I said him being grounded and all would be the start of my revenge, but it just doesn't seem harsh enough. Grounding doesn't really fit the crime, as Jared kind of put it. I'm not even sure what would fit the crime. There's really nothing else to do.

"Travers, we understand how difficult it must've been for you. Is that why you ran off?" Tyler asked. Again I didn't speak. "Right. Okay, well we're here for you if you want to talk. We'll think of something to do, okay?"

They left my room in silence, leaving me to retch over their advice. Try to move on, they said. Ha! What a joy that would be. Unfortunately, I am not one to forget injustices brought upon me. If they think for one second that I won't kick Keegan's ass again, then they're gravely mistaken. I need to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, I can feel it. I closed my eyes and thought of the darkness.

"What happened to your eye?" Claire asked, investigating the black circle enclosing my left eye. Keegan apparently got more than one good hit in, contrary to what I previously thought.

"Keegan and I got in a fight," I sighed.

She gave me a funny look. "Over what?"

"I caught him blowing Trevor," As soon as I said it, Claire's mouth practically dropped to the floor.

"You are joking with me, right?" she asked.

"No,"

"What . . . How . . . Oh, my God! What the fuck, dude!?" She actually seemed to be getting angry. Angry Claire is not a fun Claire.

When I woke up this morning, I felt an overwhelming sadness, kind of like how I felt when Trevor dumped me, just not as severe. I felt so betrayed. I loved my brother, and for him to purposely break his loyalty to me . . . It's harsh. Out of rage yesterday, I said I'd never forgive him. The day might come when I do forgive him, but that day won't come for many, many years if even then.

"Travers, I don't even know what to say. Did you at least get some good hits in, too?"

"I think I did. I didn't see him this morning. I know I busted his nose real good. He got a very good kick in my ribs. It fucking hurts to walk right now." Just talking about the kick brought a jolt of pain.

I actually thought about letting her handle it. I don't think I have the strength to ignore him. Whatever excuse he gives me I'll probably believe. Perhaps Claire should be the one to take care of things. No. I can't let her fight my battles for me. If he has something to say he can say it to me, not to anyone else.

"I'll deal with Trevor. You just worry about the bio test next week." I made a good effort to change the subject. She either took the bait or felt sorry for me, but either way we were now talking about class.

We entered the room and took our usual seats. Sylvester is only lecturing today, which will be a nice distraction. Nothing like a full two and a half hours of note taking to make one forget about their miserable life. Sylvester came in and told everyone to take their notebooks out. Trevor still hasn't shown up. I wonder if he's too embarrassed to make it today. I would be if I was caught getting my dick sucked by my ex's brother.

"Today is a special day," Sylvester began softly. "Today marks the beginning of unit seven, which is all about animals. How animals develop, reproduce, how their systems work. I have prepared several pages of notes for today so let's get started." She turned down the lights and started up the projector. At first I was taken aback. Normally she'd make some kind of crack at me, but so far she hasn't even really noticed me. Either that or she noticed my blackened eye and decided today wasn't the best day for jokes.

The next two hours were pretty entertaining. Like in ocean, studying critters has to be the best part of any class. Who wouldn't want to study animals instead of chemistry? As much as I love plant life I can't say I'd rather study photosynthesis than animal ecology. Claire didn't even look drowsy as she kind of usually does. She sat straight up in her seat and was paying close attention. I've been trying to fuel her interest in animals for quite a while now. I've told her she should study to become a vet or zoologist, but her excuse is always the same: "There's too much science." Well, Claire, that's what studying is for. You study to become knowledgeable on a subject.

After class, I headed towards my next one, praying Trevor wouldn't show up. The storm that has been relentlessly pounding us has receded. Fluffy white clouds filled the blue sky as far as the eye can see. A calm breeze fluttered through the trees and shrubbery, keeping a nice chill in the air. Spring time is definitely approaching. The local flora is beginning to show signs of blooming. This campus is beautiful all year round, but it's at its most stunning during spring and summer when the flowers dot the brown hillsides like colorful jewels. I felt oddly peaceful on my way up the inclining pathway. Perhaps today won't be as bad as I thought.

And just like that things turned around. I spotted Trevor sitting on a bench near our next class. There would be no avoiding him. I didn't stop as I came up to the bench.

"Travers, we have to talk." Trevor said, jumping up and blocking my path.

"There is nothing to talk about," I gasped, gripped with sheer terror of being near him right now. His intoxicating smell, his . . . muscular arms? He really is losing weight and gaining muscle, though his acne has flared up a bit.

"Yes, there is. What you saw yesterday wasn't right."

"No shit!" I loudly said. "You were letting my brother suck you off!"

Trevor had a pained expression. "That's not quite how it happened,"

"I don't want an explanation. I just want you to leave me the fuck alone. What you did is just beyond low."

"He seduced me! I only came over to say hi to you and see if you wanted to get a bite to eat." He explained calmly. "He told me you weren't home yet so we went up to his room and started playing games. I was on the floor and he was on his bed. He leaned down and nibbled on my ear lobe. You know how I get when that happens." Trevor melts like an ice cube thrown into boiling water. I've gotten my way many times because of his inability to resist when his ear lobes are played with. "I actually tried to stop him, but then he just mauled me and I got so turned on and he does kind of look like you. I got a little carried away, I admit it. I'm sorry, okay? I never meant to hurt you, like, at all."

I attempted to process everything Trevor told me. It only took me a few seconds to figure out something to say.

"Why didn't you just leave? You think being turned on and confused is an excuse? We don't even look that much alike!"

"No, of course it's not an excuse," Trevor sighed impatiently. "Look, I explained what happened. I didn't want him to do what he did. I felt like a jerk when you caught us."

"I feel like kicking your ass," I seethed. From breathing so hard, my ribs were aching. Damn that kick! "I don't care what kind of excuse you give me. You fucking officially ruined me yesterday. You ruined my relationship with my brother. This black eye is from him. We got in a fight last night. Tyler and Jared don't know what to do with him. But you're off the hook, free and clear. So just stay away from me. Don't talk to me. Delete my number. Don't ever come over to my house again. I hate you."

"You can hate me all you want to. It wasn't my fault." Trevor was nearly pouting, like a spoiled child who doesn't get their way. I can't believe he's trying to pawn off responsibility.

Then I remembered something. "And not only did you ruin mine and Keegan's relationship, you ruined your own! Now you're a jerk and a cheater!"

"I didn't cheat on anyone,"

"I saw you with a guy a while back. What was that about?"

"That wasn't anything,"

They were probably just fucking. Ugh, I definitely don't want to think of that. Jealousy will rear its ugly head.

Two of Dan's workmen came in for some iced tea. I was hoping for Dan himself to come in, but they've all been pretty busy replacing the wrought iron behind the shop.

"Here you go, guys," I've been trying to smile while working, but all I can manage is a weak little thing, almost a shy grin.

They thanked me, then went back outside. A few customers were sitting at the tables, drinking and talking. There has been a nice steady flow of them since I clocked in not too long ago. The sunny weather probably has something to do with that. Everyone has been cooped up inside because of the storm and now they want freedom and coffee. Being at work is actually cheering me up. When I think about what happened yesterday and the run in with Trevor this morning I don't feel as upset as I think I would be if I weren't occupied. I don't want to go home, though. I don't want to see Keegan. I've been toying with the idea of moving out, but that'd be impossible on my salary. This job is only part time. Granted, the minimum wage has risen up to $10.25, but apartments around here aren't cheap. Factor in rent, utilities, my car insurance and gas, my phone bill, and miscellaneous shit, my meager salary wouldn't cover anything but rent—maybe. Tyler and Jared
would probably continue paying for the car insurance, though that'd only be an extra $90 in my pocket. Hey, that would cover my phone bill . . . which they also pay. Perhaps living on my own is only possible assuming they won't cut me off out of desperation to keep me home. If worst comes to worst I wouldn't be entirely opposed to a roommate.

Several more customers came in over the next hour. I was busily preparing their drinks when Bernice came out to check on me. I could totally ask her for more hours if there are any. She'd be willing to help me out, I think. I could cover shifts, too. She asked if I needed anything and I wanted to blurt out more hours, but I told her the whipped cream was running low. A few minutes later she restocked the fridge for me. Anthony doesn't do that. Bernice is an awesome manager. I just have to work up the nerve to ask her for more hours.

Dan came in around four asking for Bernie. I went to grab her. He explained that the fence was finished and if she'd approve the work he could get out of her hair. Bernie asked me to go in the office and grab the store's checkbook and then meet them out back. Seeing as how there weren't any new customers I was more than happy to get some fresh air. I grabbed the checkbook and went around to the back. Dan and his crew did impeccable work. The fence looked way better than the old rusty one.

"Excellent," Bernie commented, taking the checkbook from me. "The owners will be incredibly happy with this." She wrote Dan a check and thanked him for his work.

"Not a problem," he replied. "Say, I noticed that big announcement board in the store. What does it take to post something on there?" He's referring to the extra large corkboard that people post random things on like rooms for rent or textbooks for sale. That kind of stuff.

"You can post any kind of for sale ad, as long as it's not offensive." Bernie said. "What are you wanting to put up?"

"A room for rent. Business has been kind of slow because of the weather and I'm a bit behind in rent so a roommate would be great."

"Yeah, go ahead and post that up there."

A room for rent, he says? Hm, this could be my golden opportunity. A hot, more likely straight than not, guy needs a roomie. First I'll have to talk to Bernice about having more hours. If she says yes, then I'll inquire about the room for rent. Even if he doesn't want me to, more hours means more money and more chances of being out on my own. This will be perfect!

Dan posted a handwritten flyer on the corkboard and took off. I immediately rushed over to check out what he is offering. According to the ad, the only thing I'd have to pay is four hundred for rent and my own food. Utilities are included. Oh, my fucking God, this is way too perfect! I can afford the rent right now! Though, I will still need more hours. At the end of my shift I'll ask Bernie about raising my hours.

Feel free to join my group: Shades of Wisteria. By the way, when e-mailing me be sure to create a good subject, as it could be directed to my spam folder, which I hardly ever check before deleting. So, put in "Stories" or the title of one of my stories, something like that, okay? Thanks ahead of time.